Ethics committee

Independent advocacy for our patients

At IVFAustralia, we have an independent Ethics Committee which ensures that IVFAustralia’s approach, to both the care of our patients and the research we carry out, is guided by community views on the assisted reproductive treatments that we provide.

This body acts as an advocate for the interests of our patients and is a fully accredited Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) operating under the requirements of the National Statement of the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

IVFAustralia’s Ethics Committee is required to review all research projects and treatment consent forms in order to ensure that the highest standards are being followed. The Committee meets regularly and assesses all research proposals and as well as reviewing the ongoing progress of current research projects.

The Ethics Committee also considers the ethical nature of clinical activities undertaken at IVFAustralia and advice is sought from this Committee on any cases involving difficult ethical issues, such as embryo storage and donation.

Our ethics committee meets regularly and has three primary functions:

  1. To ensure that all research involving human participant within IVFAustralia is reviewed, approved and monitored in line with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans as issued by the National Health and Medical research Council (NHMRC)
  2. To provide advice to IVFAustralia on ethical aspects of clinical infertility practice
  3. To provide independent advocacy for our patients who are participating in research projects at IVFAustralia

If you have any questions or concerns about either the research that is taking place at IVFAustralia, or the ethical review of that research, you are strongly encouraged to contact the secretary of the Ethics Committee, Tori Ruello, at 9425 1763 or by email at [email protected] 

If these concerns cannot be resolved by the Ethics Committee, the concerns can be referred to the Medical Director of IVFAustralia.

If satisfactory resolution is not achievable, the concerns can then be referred to the NSW Healthcare Complaints Commission, Locked Bag 18, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012 or telephone 1800 043 159.